TEHRAN - A late goal from Iran secured a 1-0 victory in their opening match of the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup China 2025 as they saw off the Philippines Wednesday morning.

Making their tournament debut, the Philippines came within a whisker of pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history against the defending champions, who won every one of its 10 matches en-route to claiming the title in both previous editions in 2015 and 2018.

In the end, Iran found a way through in the dying stages as Maral Torkaman broke Philippines’ hearts to take all three points in the Group B encounter at the Hohhot Sports Centre.

Team Melli are scheduled to meet Hong Kong and Vietnam on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

“The game against the Philippines was not easy at all, and I’m glad I could score the only goal of this match. We had several opportunities in both halves but couldn’t convert them into goals. However, in the final minutes, we finally broke through the Philippine defense and secured the victory,” Torkaman said.

“The competition has resumed after seven years, and undoubtedly, this edition was marked by special circumstances. But with the strategies set by our coaching staff, we managed to emerge victorious and want to win the title for the third time,” she added.

“We need to take it step by step to reach our goal of making it to the final and winning the championship. Additionally, we aim to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the Philippines,” Torkaman concluded.